


Wedding Blues

by starlightwalking



Series: A-Spectrum Anthology [20]
Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: 5+1 Things, Aromantic Kel, Arospec Dom, Developing Relationship, F/M, Gen, Miscommunication, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-06-07 23:30:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15230415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwalking/pseuds/starlightwalking
Summary: Dom and Kel attend several weddings, almost ending with a marital misadventure of their own.Or: 5 Times Dom Misunderstood Kel + 1 Time He Didn't





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Buffintruder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffintruder/gifts).



> happy (extremely belated) birthday, buffintruda!!  
> I originally intended for this to be a nice short little thing, but considering how long my outline is I'm splitting it into 6 chapters. Hopefully this will be done by mid-September when I head off to college :)  
> If you came here looking for Kel/Dom romantic fluff, you might want to look elsewhere... I was ecstatic to hear that Tamora Pierce [canonized Kel as aromantic](http://arofili.tumblr.com/post/153883045322/clarification-on-kel), and while I have [a lot of complicated feelings](http://arofili.tumblr.com/post/175392224087/aro-kel-masterpost) about that after some reflection, I've been dying to write something about her navigating a relationship with Dom.  
> I'm frankly astonished that I'm writing something so heavily focused on miscommunication as a plot device, which is usually NOT my favorite trope, but rest assured this will end happily with everything in the open!! Hope you enjoy!!

**i.**

Watching your family grow up was a fascinating process, especially when they took as much time doing it as the Meathead did. As Neal and Yuki took their marriage vows in both the Tortallan and Yamani fashion, Dom could scarcely believe his eyes.

People around him wept, and while Dom was moved by this display of love and maturity, he didn't find it in himself to cry. Even Kel, whose emotions he could never quite guess, got teary-eyed, but Dom's full heart was good enough an expression for him.

The whole time they were up there, Dom kept his eyes locked on his cousin. Neal was a few years younger than he, and he had an odd sense that he should have married first. But that would mean leaving the Own, and Dom had never yet met a woman he loved enough to do that.

After the ceremony, Dom congratulated Neal with a hearty embrace. He kissed Lady Yuki's hand and joked about how she had her work cut out for her—but through it all, something just felt a little bit... _off_.

He was happy for Neal, of course, and not the least bit jealous. But he found it hard to connect to the feelings of overwhelming joy expressed by so many of his relatives and friends. Perhaps it was because he remained unmarried, or perhaps he was just not in the right mood for a wedding.

The festivities after the ceremony were grand. A ball was held with most of the music in the eastern fashion, the dance floor decorated with Yamani cherry blossoms. Dom danced with several ladies, even taking a turn with the lovely bride.

"Welcome to the family," he joked to Yuki. "Officially."

Yuki smiled, and not just with her eyes. "You are too kind, Domitan."

"I am," he agreed. "I'm just trying to soften the blow that comes from binding yourself to the Meathead."

"I'll tell him you said that." Yuki's eyes twinkled.

"Please do!" Dom laughed. "It might help your case."

"If I've got a case of anything, my Neal is sure to cure it."

"Gross," Dom said, spinning her in a circle in time to the music.

"It will not seem so when you find your match, Domitan!" Yuki said. The song came to a close, and she bowed to him. "Is that eastern enough?"

Dom bowed back, half-kneeling. "I don't know—is this western enough?"

Yuki winked and shook her head, then was swept away by Lord Raoul as another song begun.

Dom helped himself to some finger food, impressed by the sweetmeats. Lady Alanna stopped at the table of refreshments to refill her plate alongside him.

"I'm almost glad George is home sick," she said through a mouthful of dumpling. "He'd be telling me to eat less."

"I never took him as one who cared so much about his wife's figure," Dom remarked.

"He doesn't," she said, licking her fingers. "He's just worried about my table manners!" She laughed. "You'll get it from your wife, when you're married."

"I haven't met the woman yet who could woo me from the Own," he said.

"Or you haven't realized it." Alanna clapped him on the back and wandered off.

Dom shook his head as he went to find somewhere to eat. What was  _that_  supposed to mean?

"Dom, there you are!" Kel waved him over to where she sat with the Wildmage. "Daine and I were just talking about that ogre you and Third Company killed on the way here."

"Nasty fellow, that one," Dom said, sitting down. "Usually that many men will scare a lone ogre off, but—"

"Daine! Daine!" cried Numair from across the room. "Come here—I've lost my scrying glass—"

Daine sighed and rose to her feet. "I'm sorry, Domitan," she said. "He'd lose his own feet if they weren't too big. You'll have to tell me some other time." She rushed off to aid her lover, leaving Kel alone with Dom.

"I am so glad this isn't  _my_  wedding," Dom said, sipping from a glass of wine. "I swear, everyone is dropping hints that I need to settle down, but I don't think I need some poor lady picking up after me."

"You know that's not what Daine and Numair are like," Kel chided.

"Or Neal and Yuki, or Buri and Raoul, or George and Alanna." Dom waved a hand. "Yes, I know. My point still stands—we ride with unusual folk."

"Why wouldn't your hypothetical bride be just as unusual?" Kel said.

" _I'm_  not one of them," Dom said. "I know you hate to have it pointed out, but even Practical Lady Keladry is far more incredible than some sergeant in the King's Own."

Kel rolled her eyes. "Stop being modest. It doesn't become you."

"I didn't mean in  _looks_ ," Dom said, puffing out his chest and lifting his chin nobly. "Just in—magical destiny, being god-touched, that sort of thing. It's the only way I'm average, since I am clearly the handsomest lad in the Own—nay, all of Tortall!"

Kel shook her head with a smile. "That's the Domitan of Masbolle I know."

The band began a slower tune—an old lullaby that washed over Dom with nostalgia. It was a family favorite, something he always insisted his mother sing to him as a child. Evidently Duke Baird had sung it to his son, as well.

"Mm, that brings back memories," he murmured. His eyes followed Neal, now reunited with Yuki, as they danced in marital bliss.

Kel stood up suddenly. She wore a loose-fitting green dress complemented with a pale yellow shrug, simply attired in contrast to the more extravagant costumes of the other noblewomen. But Dom liked her outfit—it was much more  _her_  than some fancy ball gown would have been.

"Do you want to dance with me?" she asked.

Dom blinked, surprised by her offer. He noticed a momentary grimace on her face, and his belly tightened as he wondered what that meant.

"Wyldon taught all us pages how," she added. "I'm more familiar with the men's part, but—"

Dom stood up and took her hand. "Of course," he said. "I can play the lady, if you want."

They joined the crowd of dancers, matching their steps to the rhythm. Dom's eyes wandered around the room, seeing all sorts of couple clutch each other close. That oddness from before swept over him again, and he wondered why he felt so detached from the otherwise perfectly romantic scene.

Eventually his eyes met Kel's. Hazel. They were a pretty color, he noticed. She led the dance with grace and strength that became her. Gods, she was bigger than he was at the shoulders, and almost his height.

He didn't know why he was thinking about all that—he'd watched her grow into an adult, after all. He'd fought alongside her in the Own and in the Scanran War. It wasn't as if he'd never noticed these things before.

His expression must have belied his thoughts, at least in part, because Kel frowned.

"I'm sorry, should I not have—?" she began.

"No, no," Dom assured her. "This is—nice. I like it." Even if it was a different feeling to be following in this dance.

"You smell nice," he blurted out. "I mean, usually we all smell like horse and sweat, if we're lucky, so it might just be you're clean, but—"

"I'm wearing perfume," Kel said. She stifled a laugh. "I  _am_  a girl, Dom."

"Um, yes, definitely," Dom agreed. Was  _that_  what had got his heart all in a twist? He certainly didn't feel the same way about Kel as he did with all the other ladies he'd courted and bedded; he would never suggest such a thing to her, one of his best friends!

Kel gripped him just a bit tighter, lifting him in to the air with the dance. Dom felt his heart skip a beat, entirely from surprise. His head spun as he landed back down on the ground, and his heart pounded long after the dance had ended and he and Kel went their separate ways.

He wasn't quite sure—he didn't understand his own feelings, after all—but if he didn't know Kel better, he'd guess she might have been flirting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support <3

**ii.**

Another day, another wedding. It felt like people were getting married in droves these days; as the Knight Commander finally got hitched, many of the King's Own decided their time had come, too. Dom was down half his squad, and was eager to visit the Bazhir and fill their ranks as soon as Lord Raoul's honeymoon was over.

Raoul and Buri's wedding was a much different affair than the formality-choked event that had been Neal and Yuki's nuptials. Though both of them had friends by the dozens, the guest list was smaller, and there was far more alcohol. (Lord Raoul did not drink, but Buri did, and both of them wished to avoid the stifling atmosphere of most noble proceedings.)

The vows were brief but intense—about fighting for and protecting each other, and uniting in one cause. Dom, already a little tipsy, was nearly brought to tears for all he'd been dry-eyed at Neal's wedding. The drink helped him to enjoy what to him was usually a bore or a cause for discomfort.

The dancing after the ceremony was intense. Raoul may have been the only person completely sober, but he was so drunk on the excitement of his marriage that he was the wildest one in the room, prancing about and laughing at the top of his lungs.

The band played more soldier's songs than marital melodies, and Dom couldn't stop himself from belting out all the lewd words. In an event like this, with nearly everyone at least a little intoxicated and all of them good friends, the stricter parts of Tortallan culture didn't seem so important; gender and class were forgotten in their merriment. Dom danced with nearly every person present, from Raoul's great-aunt to the groom himself to Lerant the standard-bearer.

The bride latched onto Queen Thayet and didn't let go until she and Raoul left for their marriage bed, leaving King Jonathon to wax poetic to Daine and Numair in the corner. George and Alanna swept through the dance floor, getting frankly naughty—so much so that Thayet had to pry herself from Buri for just a moment and inform them it wasn't  _their_  wedding.

One way or another, Dom found himself hand in hand with Kel as the party wound down. People trickled away to recover (or continue the party) in their beds, until the mage-lights were low and only a mournful violinist remained, bowing a melancholy lament on her fiddle.

Dom found himself leading in this final dance, for all he tripped over his own feet in a bit of a drunken haze. Kel laughed at his every misstep, the atmosphere loosening her usually contained demeanor into something more free and happy.

"This is more of a dirge than a jig," she said. "What beat are you stepping to?"

"I don't have to impress you," Dom said. "You know I could dance good if I wanted to."

"If you hadn't drunk as much wine," Kel murmured. Dom pretended not to hear.

"Besides, if I—" he hiccuped— "If I stopped being so silly, I'd get the wedding blues."

"Raoul and Buri's colors are gold and green," Kel said, straight-faced.

Dom laughed more than the joke deserved, her presence lighting up his life. "Naw, you know what I mean. Weddings can be such—such a bore. Make you feel bad about yourself."

"This is why I don't drink," Kel teased. "I save myself from embarrassment like this."

"Hey, I'm having fun!" Dom protested.

"I am, too." Kel smiled.

The violinist finished her song and bowed. The few remaining guests clapped in appreciation, then began to make their way back home.

Kel didn't let go of Dom's hand as she led him away. In his intoxication, he didn't think much of it as he rambled on about how much fun the night had been. They walked through the palace halls and out towards the tents where the Own camped. Night air blew through Dom's hair, stirring him back to his senses enough to hold some semblance of a conversation.

"M'lord and Buri make a good pair," he said. "S'too bad it took them so long to figure out they were in love."

"Well, they're happy now," Kel said. "That's what matters." She paused thoughtfully. "I don't think they're in love, though."

"What?" Dom was so surprised that he stumbled to a halt. "But—they've been sleeping together for years. I thought—we all thought it was nerves, or politics, that stopped them so long."

"I don't deny that," Kel said. "But sex isn't the same thing as...being in love. They do love each other. I've heard Lord Raoul say it himself. But he doesn't say it like my mother does, or like Lady Alanna, or like Neal."

"Huh." Dom couldn't quite make sense of that, not right now, but something about it struck a chord within him. "So, why get married, then?"

"Well, this is just my thoughts," Kel said. "Raoul hasn't talked to me about it personally. But politics, I suppose. Raoul's sick of rumors, and of his great-aunt nagging him to marry. Buri's got the same sort of problems, and her reputation was suffering from letting things just go on as they were. And I think their Majesties had a few words with them."

"Oh!" Dom laughed. "I can imagine that."

"And you heard their vows," Kel continued. "Everything they said makes sense, in—a friendly way, too. Though, I don't know. 'Friendly' might not be the right word, but 'romantic' doesn't..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Please don't mention this to my lord. This is just—"

"I don't know how much I'll remember," Dom admitted. Details from earlier that night had already begun to slip away. "Of c—I mean, yeah, I won't."

Kel looked at him oddly. She still grasped his hand, not caring how sweaty it was. In the moonlight, she looked like the Goddess had put a halo upon her head, but her smile was the most human thing he'd seen in awhile.

"I wasn't in love with Cleon," she said. "Or—" She snorted. "Wel, what I mean is, maybe I'm just seeing things the way I understand them for myself."

"Well, I mean, I'm not—I've never been in love with any of the girls I've bedded," Dom blurted out. "I don't...I mean—yeah." He flushed. "Not to—I don't want you to think I'm the kind of noble who—it's just, never worked out that way. And, um, I am sorry for bringing that up, I know you've never talked to me about—Mmf!"

Kel cut him off with a kiss. Dom was so surprised that he couldn't think. He didn't make a move, not to kiss her back or to push her away or...

She stepped back, something like disappointment in her eyes.

"Um..." He blinked, wondering if the wine was making him imagine all this. "Um."

Kel gave him an unreadable look. She punched him lightly on the shoulder like a comrade in arms, then started to walk back to the palace. "Night, Dom," she said gruffly.

Dom stood there for a full minute. He touched his lips, still not sure of what had just happened.

He didn't remember a lot of that night the next morning—not even much of their conversation about Raoul and Buri—but he couldn't forget that kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so grateful for all of the wonderful feedback that this fic has received! I never expected so many readers from an arospec fic in a fandom I don't see much of on tumblr, and I am honored that you all like this story so much. Thank you!!  
> I incorporated a few headcanons about the Bazhir into this chapter. Since Myles and Alanna's adoption ceremony involved blood magic, I thought it would make sense for that to extend to marriages as well.  
> This chapter was fun to write :) It took me longer than expected, considering I'm on vacation, but the next chapter is already written. It should be up next week!  
> Thank you again <3

Dom loved visiting the Bazhir. The desert was beautiful, the sun hot, and the people friendly. They knew how to treat guests, and Dom liked to joke about quitting the Own and joining a tribe like Alanna and King Jon had done.

It was only ever a joke, of course. Especially since Dom didn't have the fantastic destiny of those folks. For him, the only way into the Bazhir would be through marriage, and even despite his mixed feelings about matrimony in general, Bazhir weddings were frankly more than he could handle.

He'd learned that the hard way when blood was split at the first one he'd attended. Though the mages in the Own (and his own Meaty cousin) all swore that it was the height of romance just because of the magic involved, Dom got a bit queasy at the thought. From then on, he'd skip the ceremony and show up to the after party—but not this time.

"The Whispering Wind Tribe and the Roaring Lion Tribe are uniting under this marriage," Raoul explained. "It's very important. We're here to recruit, but Jon—sorry, his Majesty—instructed me to send my top warriors to honor the ceremony."

"Alright," Dom agreed, "but why do  _I_  have to go? You know Bazhir weddings make me queasy."

"You sound like a child, Sergeant," Buri drawled. "Grow a spine. You're lucky we didn't get into the K'mir blood traditions at our wedding."

"He would have been too drunk to remember," Kel joked.

Dom stuck his nose up, refusing to grant them the pleasure of an apology. "My point still stands."

"We're sending you two with gifts from the King," Raoul said. "Dom, you're a noble with an ancient lineage. Kel, you're nearly as famous as our Lioness."

" _But_  not quite," Buri said. "And I don't mean to offend—"

"You didn't," Kel assured.

"—but we also don't want them to think this is  _too_  important," Buri continued. "We can't start sending the Queen herself to every Bazhir wedding, and to send the Champion to one tribe's ceremony and not another would offend everyone."

"You two are just important enough to fit the bill, and not too important to overcharge it," Raoul said. "Are you satisfied?"

"Fine," Kel said, crossing her arms. "Sounds fun."

Dom grumbled. "There's so much  _blood_."

"You're a warrior!" Kel smacked him lightly. "Grow up!"

He cracked a smile, but that little punch only brought back memories from the night of Raoul and Buri's wedding a month back. Sitting here, with the newlyweds and the girl who'd kissed him, made his head spin.

He and Kel hadn't talked about that kiss. Hell, Dom wasn't sure Kel thought he remembered it. And they'd both been too busy to... He didn't know.

But now, they were to be together. Alone. For the first time since then. At—gods!— _another_  damned wedding.

Laden with gifts for the bride and groom, Kel and Dom arrived early on the morning of the wedding. They paid their respects to the headmen, fathers of the couple, and expressed the King's good tidings to the newly created Whispering Lion Tribe.

Dom ignored the snide remarks one headman hissed to the other about which of them was the Lady Knight. He was glad Kel didn't understand the Bazhir language. She would have taken offense, not for her sake, but for his. She was like that.

Then came the ceremony itself. Under the stars, with the desert wind blowing in the bride's veil, it was beautiful. Dom was almost impressed by the romance of it all—almost. Right up until the binding in blood.

He turned away as the couple sliced each other's arms and pressed the wounds together. The shamans of the tribes lit up the sky with their magefire, punctuating the moment of unity. Their blood mingled together, and the bride and groom were now wed.

Dom and Kel congratulated them, but did not stick around for the feast. They had orders from Raoul to return to the Own by sunup, which meant a night ride back to the camp full of new recruits.

"That wasn't so bad, now, was it?" Kel teased as she saddled Hoshi. Dom only rolled his eyes, swinging a leg over his own horse.

"If they're happy staining their marriage bed red, I'm happy for them," he retorted. "Me, though—I'm in the interest of keeping all my blood in my own body."

"How practical." Kel nudged Hoshi into a slow walk, and Dom followed. "Which way was it?"

Dom pulled ahead of her, leading her east. They rode in comfortable silence for a few minutes—at least, it seemed comfortable to Kel, softly humming an unfamiliar tune and admiring the stars.

He was struck by how pretty she was, the faint light of the night reflecting off her polished plate armor. It was the peace on her face that really did it, though, and the soft smile on her lips. The same lips that had kissed him.

A strange nervousness crept up on Dom. What had she meant by that kiss? What did she want from him? How did  _he_  feel about it? The answer to each question was unclear, and there was only one way to find out. He held it in as long as he could before the anxiety crawled up his throat and he blurted out, "Kel—"

At the same moment, she spoke: "What would  _you_  want at a wedding then?"

Dom blinked, taken aback. "You never fail to surprise me," he said. "I suppose—a quiet affair, if I could get away with it. Though I don't see that being an issue anytime soon, if ever."

"Of course." Kel nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world to stay perpetually single, despite what Dom's mother and practically every other person in the kingdom thought. "I was just thinking...my hypothetical betrothed had better not be a mage. All that blood magic—and frankly some of what Neal does, if Yuki's to be believed—it's interesting, but only to learn about."

"Oh, yeah," Dom agreed. "If Neal were here now, he'd still be back there either interrogating the poor couple on how it worked or scolding the about blood diseases."

" 'Did you purify yourselves first?' " Kel said, imitating the Meathead.

" 'I have a spell for that,' " Dom joked, waving his fingers as if he suddenly expected a long-dormant Gif to manifest in his palm. " 'The Lioness taught me!' "

Kel laughed a soldier's laugh, something hearty from her belly, unashamed of snorts. Dom smiled, warmed.

They joked as they rode, until the sky turned grey and they realized they had to ride a little faster to make it back in time. His horse only a few feet behind Hoshi, Dom felt lighter than the air sweeping through his hair, all anxiety gone.

They slowed as the camp appeared in sight, the sun tinging the sky yellow-pink as it emerged from its slumber. Dom murmured a prayer to Mithros, thanking him for the light and warmth and the pretty sight. After a moment, he added one to the Goddess, for the same things he found in Kel.

"This was nice," Kel commented. "Being with just you, I mean." She flashed him a sideways smile, the kind he never quite understood.

"Yeah," he agreed, his throat drier than he wished. After a pause, he forced himself to voice what he'd been wondering since Raoul and Buri's wedding. He didn't want to ruin the moment, or their friendship, but he had to know: "Kel, what was with that kiss, last month?"

Kel stared straight ahead into the rising sun, not responding until Hoshi slowed to a stop. Dom caught up to her, worry tight in his chest.

"Ah," she said, her tone measured. "I hoped—I thought you'd forgotten that."

"Truth be told, I remember that most," he admitted. "It's—it's not an easy thing to forget." He'd never been kissed by a comrade before, much less a woman like Kel. And gods, what a woman.

"I'd blame it on the liquor, if I'd had any." She scratched her head, tugging at her short strands of hair. Shorter than his, even. "I'm sorry, Dom. I really shouldn't've—"

"No, no," he stammered. "I mean—it wasn't bad. You only—surprised me, is all. And, well, I was drunk."

"Very," she agreed. "I prefer my men sober."

"I could—" Dom stopped himself before promising that wouldn't be a problem. Of course it wouldn't, he wasn't— _she_  didn't—

"What?" Kel tilted her head. "You mean, you think we ought to try it again?"

"Um," he said. "Well—if you want to."

"I..." She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Do you remember what we talked about, before I...?"

Dom frowned. "Vaguely. Something about Raoul and Buri...not being in love?"

"Yes." Kel looked relieved. "Yes, that. I think—well. You remember Cleon?" She blushed.

"How could I forget?" he said drily. He meant that as a tease, but it was true. He'd blacked the eyes of too many folks who thought they could make a snide comment about the two of them. "He almost challenged me to a duel over a harmless flirt."

She shook her head. "So concerned about my honor. I'm glad you're not like that; I can deal with myself."

Ah. Dom was glad she didn't know about the black eyes, then.

"You were cool-headed when that headman insinuated I was the lazy lord and you the whore knight," Kel said, wrinkling her nose. "I know you speak a bit of Bazhir."

"Oh." He started, guilty. "I thought you didn't..."

"I'm friends with Qasim, remember?" She raised an eyebrow. "I've got to say, you'd make a daintier knight than I do. I can see the confusion, especially since folk who've never met me assume I'll look like some delicate princess who's slept her way to her shield."

" _You're_  just jealous because I'm the pretty one," he said, fluffing his hair. Though she was plenty pretty, too.

"You know I'm not." She smiled. "I  _am_  sorry, Dom. That I surprised you, and sprung that on you drunk, and didn't mention it afterward. I like kissing. Sometimes I wonder if that was all I liked about Cleon, or about—" She broke off.

That rang a faint bell in Dom's memory. She'd said something similar that night a month ago, about Cleon and...someone else.

"Who?" he asked, curious. "I don't mean to pry, but..."

"Promise not to laugh?"

"Why would I?" he snorted. "I'm sure  _my_  exploits would have you in stitches. There was the bald lady in Pearlmouth, and the girl who had a thing for my feet, and one time in Tyra I slept with a man who had seventeen pet lizards—"

"Neal," she confessed.

Dom's mouth flopped open. "Wait.  _You_ —and the  _Meathead_ —" He couldn't even picture it in his mind.

"No!" She laughed. "No, no. When I was a page I could've sworn I was in love with him, but nothing came of it. I came back after a year with the Own and it was like nothing had been there. Maybe there never was."

"Well, once you caught sight of  _my_  pretty face—"

"You're more right than you think!" She blushed, and Dom's stomach flipped. He didn't know how much she was joking. He certainly didn't feel the same for the young girl tough as nails he'd read Neal brag about in letters for so long. But for the iron woman before him, baring her secrets to him in the golden sunrise—well, he wasn't so sure about that.

"That's a relief," he said. "You almost had me for a moment there. But Neal would have told me all about it. He can't keep a secret, especially one like that. He made me proofread his poetry for Uline of Hannalof..."

" _Don't_  tell him," Kel begged. "I would die of shame."

"Mithros!" Dom shook his head. "I would never. Your secret's safe with me."

The sun was almost entirely risen by now. They were going to be late to report to Raoul, but Dom didn't mind the scolding they'd get if it meant he could spend time with Kel.

"We ought to get back to camp," he said, more than a bit reluctantly. "My lord is definitely waiting for our report."

Side by side, they moved into camp. Dom greeted the sleepy soldiers as they stumbled out of their tents, cracking jokes at the rueful faces of the newest recruits and hurling friendly insults to the members of his squad.

They stopped outside Raoul's tent. They could hear him arguing with Flynn, so he and Kel loitered outside for a few moments longer.

"Things are good between us, then?" Kel's hazel eyes were worried. If he could tell her emotions so easily, he knew she was all sincerity.

"Yes, gods all bless." He smiled. "I'd—well, I'd even kiss you back, if you wanted."

"I'll consider it, Lady Dom," she teased. But behind that was something soft, something that sent shivers down his spine, something not even the Tyran lizardkeper or the bald lady or any duchess he'd fancied had ever made him feel.

"I'll be waiting, then, Sergeant Kel," he retorted. "As long as you're not in it for my blood."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I made a cover for this story and posted it on tumblr if you'd like to check that out!](http://arofili.tumblr.com/post/175724065912/dom-and-kel-attend-several-weddings-almost-ending) it was based on the template for a wedding invitation, lol.  
>  thanks for reading & commenting!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning for kissing, like quite a bit more than has previously happened, for any of my aros out there repulsed by that. also, silly cliches. but they're arospec so like, it's all good stuff. even if dom is still confused about everything.

Little towns like Owlshollow remembered the knights and soldiers who passed through and helped them. Dom's memory of the place was spotty—centaurs, maybe?—but Kel was excited to visit when Raoul sent a letter asking for her help in a three-squad mission to hunt down and destroy a spidren nest in the area.

"One of my first missions with the Own was here," she told Dom on the way there. "And this is where I got that blasted griffin. I hope that they've prospered since then."

"Me, too," Dom agreed.

The mission was a success, taking no more than a few hours. Dom dismissed his squad to play in the town, and he and Kel went wandering. She greeted the people of Owlshollow warmly, delighted to find out they remembered her.

Dom caught sight of a little cafe next door to the inn. The smell of food drifted through the air, and he heard both their bellies rumble.

Kel patted her stomach and grinned. Her smile had an almost intoxicating effect on him—it didn't take him off guard like it used to, but it reminded him of what she'd said in the desert a month and a half ago. About kissing him again.

Kel nudged him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Dom's heart skipped a beat. The answer was probably "no"—but then his stomach gurgled again, and he was on the same page as her. He smiled back. "Let's get some food."

The dish of the day was a pasta with rich, creamy sauce. Dom and Kel split a plate, enjoying a nice hot meal after a hard day's work.

"I've been thinking—" Kel began, halfway through the plate, but she was interrupted as a young couple fluttered inside the cafe. They were locals—Dom vaguely recognized the girl as having curtsied to them earlier that day—and besottedly in love. They clung to each other like they thought the wind might blow them apart, squeezing into the same chair as the cafe owner took their order.

Dom rolled his eyes. "Young love." He didn't say it like his mother did, in the dreamy, wistful tone of nostalgia—it was more of a sarcastic in-joke, the kind of thing that toed the line between humorous and rude.

Kel snorted. " _Young_  is right," she remarked.

"You're not that much older than them yourself," he teased.

"I'm a head taller than the lad and twice as pretty as the lass." Kel smirked.

"Switch it and I'm the same." Dom sniffed. "I know  _I'm_  vain, but I never took  _you_  for one to gloat about that kind of thing."

"It's called a joke, Dom!" Kel exclaimed. "I'm not that pretty, even if I am tall." She stuffed another forkful of pasta into her mouth, mumbling through the noodles.

Dom politely nibbled on his bite. "At least I have table manners."

Kel swallowed, reaching over to flick his fork. Cream sauce splattered all over his face, and he cried out indignantly.

"I seem to remember a middle-aged lord who tried to juggle oranges at a state dinner in Persopolis," Kel said.

"Middle-aged?" Dom placed a hand on his chest. "Now you're just being mean."

Kel giggled, batting her lashes. "I'm sorry, I can't take you seriously with sauce all over you."

Dom wiped the mess off his face. "It was a party trick! And I was tipsy!"

"Watch your liquor, lad." Kel shook her head. "Next time you'll do something even more rash."

_Like kiss you?_  he wondered. He was totally sober right now, but the impulse still wouldn't leave him alone.

On the other side of the cafe, the young couple had hardly touched their food, though they now sat across from (and not on top of) each other. The lass played with her necklace, staring at her lover with hearts in her eyes.

"Kyrria, this has been the best year of my life," the lad said, taking her hand. "I love you.

Kel took a large bite of pasta, chewing louder than strictly necessary to block out the sound, but Dom was curious enough to listen in to what was going on over there.

"Nikkol," Kyrria said dreamily, "I love you too."

"I can't imagine my life without you," Nikkol said, his voice choked with passion. He stood up, lifting Kyrria to her feet and kissing her.

Dom felt something squeeze in his stomach. He didn't know if it was jealousy or disgust, but the couple's antics suddenly repulsed him.

"Kyrria, will you marry me?"

The cafe owner gasped, a tear coming to his eye as Kyrria babbled her acceptance and kissed Nikkol fiercely. They spent several minutes like that, and the cafe owner wished them his congratulations and told them that the meal was on the house.

When at last Nikkol and Kyrria left to proclaim their engagement to all of Owlshollow, Kel groaned.

"Looks like someone's got a wedding coming up," Dom remarked. "I swear, every time I see you, someone's getting married. It's like the gods are trying to tell me something—or maybe it's just my mother."

"I'm glad that spectacle is over with," Kel said, spinning her fork and gathering noodles up with it. "Courtships ought to be kept private, in my opinion."

"Mm," Dom agreed. "It's an intimate thing. Best to keep it that way."

"Courtships are so convoluted," Kel complained. "Noble ones are impossibly political, and common ones try to match the frivolity of the nobility."

"I don't envy Neal his difficulties," Dom said. "Though that was mostly due to the war."

"It's a good thing we took care of those spiders." Kel took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Frivolities aside, those folks don't deserve to be eaten alive."

As they finished up their plate of pasta, Dom contemplated the day they'd had. Kel's words stuck in his head:  _I'm not that pretty. Next time you'll do something even more rash. Courtships ought to be kept private._

Were they courting? Dom wasn't sure. They'd kissed, just that once. He certainly had some strong and strange feelings for her, and he thought she felt similarly. But Dom was nothing if not a flirt, and this was the oddest flirting he'd ever seen.

He slurped on a noodle absent-mindedly, dragging out of the remains of the pasta. He met some opposition, but only tried harder to get it into his mouth—until he was leaning over the table and Kel was an inch away from his lips with a hold on the other end of the noodle.

Before he knew what he was doing, Dom kissed her.

It was a quick little peck, and he jumped away almost immediately with flaming cheeks. Kel stared at him with a little bit of noodle sticking out of her mouth, her eyes wide. He watched as the last of the pasta disappeared into her mouth, giddy with excitement.

"Um," Kel said, turning a little pink herself. "I guess you weren't paying much attention to my talk about keeping courtship private, then?"

"So this is courtship, hm?" Dom asked.

"Not like they were doing it," Kel said, waving a hand at the table where the couple had sat.

"We can take it private, if you want," Dom suggested.

"I think I would like to take advantage of your offer back in the desert," Kel said, standing up. She left a few coins on their table and led him into the inn, all the way up to her rooms. Dom's heart pounded—he hadn't a clue how this was going to turn out.

The door closed. Kel took his hand, and then she was kissing him, and he was kissing her, and her hands were at his waist and she was lifting him up against the wall and he was grabbing at her shoulders and—

Kel broke away from him, breathing quickly. Her hazel eyes were bright, her chin trembling ever so slightly as she smiled. "Is this okay? Is it weird?"

"Weird, yes. Okay, definitely," Dom murmured. "I never thought we'd be, um..."

She kissed him again, and Dom leaned into her. He flushed, his mind spinning.

"I'm, I just want to be sure," Kel said, her forehead pressed against his. "I know you've—had relationships before, but I've only had Cleon, and we rushed into everything—"

"This is new for me, too," Dom admitted. "I mean, I've had sweethearts, but, um. I don't know. You feel—different. And usually, I'm the bigger one." He grinned, and this time it was him taking the initiative, teasing her with kisses on her cheeks and neck before at last meeting her lips in a slow, serious manner.

"I just, I don't want to..." Kel hesitated again, and Dom stepped back to give her space to think. She took a deep breath. "I like you, Dom. I really, really do. You are a wonderful friend, and I don't want to—to ruin that. And I don't want you thinking I can give you things I don't want to give—"

"We don't have to have sex," he assured her. "That's—that's fine."

"That isn't...that's not really what I meant." Kel bit her lip, taking a seat on her bed. "I don't really... I like the physical part, the kissing and what have you. Sex...maybe. I don't know. Not now, certainly." She sighed. "Cleon and I never did have sex. I think I was afraid, and he wanted to marry me first. But I didn't want that. I don't want that."

"Marriage is the last thing on my mind," Dom said, lying down beside her. She snuggled into his arms, looking up at him.

"Good," she said. "And... You know how it is, with politics. I try to stay out of it, but I'm a lady knight. I'm a woman with power. Folk, if they know...they'll talk. The Own won't, mostly, but..."

"They'll talk no matter what you do," Dom pointed out. "But, I don't mean—I'm fine with that. Keep it private, like you said. It's better for everyone."

"Okay," Kel said. "Good." She smiled. "You are much easier to talk to than Cleon."

"I try," he said modestly. Kel lifted his chin and pulled him toward her, kissing him until he could barely breathe.

"Gods, you're beautiful," he breathed, dizzy.

"Am I?" Kel leaned her head on his shoulder. "I thought I was a big brute with scars and calluses."

"You've got as many as I do," Dom said, rubbing her tough palm with his thumb. "We're soldiers, Kel. That doesn't stop me from being the prettiest lad in the Own, nor does it stop you from being beautiful. You just have your own version of beauty."

"That's possibly the nicest thing anyone's said about my looks," Kel murmured.

"I can tell you more," Dom offered. "Your eyes are pretty, too. Like leaves in the summertime."

Kel laughed, shoving him gently. "Dom! You're starting to sound like Neal!"

"Let's not bring him into this," Dom said, pulling a face. "Ever."

"I can live with that," she agreed. She buried her face in his shoulder. "We've talked an awful lot about me," she mumbled through a mouthful of his shirt. "What about you? What do you want?"

Dom stroked her hair, his fingers brushing her scalp. She hummed in approval, and he continued to run his hand across her head.

"I want whatever you want, I suppose," he said. "I like kissing. I like sex. But neither are the most important thing. I like you."

"I like you, too," Kel whispered.

"It doesn't feel like I thought it would," Dom mused. "This—love, I guess."

She stiffened beneath him. Dom paused in his stroking. "I'm sorry. Was that too fast?"

"Maybe," she said. "Cleon and I didn't... But you're not Cleon. You're you. I feel different about you."

"I feel different about you, too," Dom said. "I've had relationships. They fizzled out and I was never all too sorry. I liked the girls, and that one lad...though I never told no one about him."

"It's different in the Yamani Isles," Kel mentioned. "That sort of thing isn't frowned upon like it is here."

"Well, it was alright." Dom kissed her forehead. "But I don't know. The romance of it all was missing."

"And you think you've found the romance of it with me?" Kel couldn't quite suppress a laugh.

"Well, maybe," Dom said. He pulled her into another kiss. "I suppose only time will tell."

"Mm," Kel murmured.

* * *

They dozed off to sleep curled up together like that. Dom woke before the sun rose, leaving her with a kiss on the forehead and a note about where she could find him next. He had to round up his squad and head back to the Own, and she had to report back to the palace.

He snuck out of her room in the inn, careful no one saw him, and out to the tents just outside Owlshollow where his squad was camped. As he readied himself for the day's journey, Dom couldn't stop himself from grinning.

When the sun rose in the east, Dom didn't thank Mithros like he had that night in the desert. He didn't need the sun to warm him, his warmth came from within. His heart was full and his spirit light from a night spent with Kel.

The only person he thought to thank was Kel herself, and the Knight Commander who introduced the two of them. And if he greeted Lord Raoul with a little more enthusiasm than usual when they reunited with Third Company, well—no one had to know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they were sharing pasta... i couldn't NOT include a lady and the tramp moment...  
> also idk how dom and kel manage to have better communication than kel and cleon did but still be so lost djhdkjhd


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're nearing the end!! Thank you so much to everyone who has read and commented on this fic, I truly did not anticipate how many people would enjoy this story and I am so grateful for your support <3  
> content warnings for this chapter: more kissing, a generous amount of sap, fade-to-black before a sex scene, casual cissexism (not acknowledged by the narrative), & canon-typical homophobia (that is acknowledged by the narrative)

This wasn't supposed to be a wedding, but Dom should have known better by this point. Marriages seemed to follow him and Kel around, of late.

They went down to the courthouse to clear up a legal inconvenience. Kel had to pay a fine after a mistakenly messy mission; nothing too dire. A flock of Stormwings had violated their treaty with the Crown, unlawfully desecrating the bodies of Tortallan subjects. The dead in question were a few unfortunate villagers and one or two soldiers of the King's Own, killed in a skirmish with bandits outside the Royal Forest.

Kel, being Kel, had taken to the field of battle with her crossbow and fatally shot the prince of the flock. If it hadn't been for Dom and one of Third Company's mages, she might have been mauled, but instead it became the magistrate's issue.

"Whoever heard of Stormwings suing anyone?" Kel complained as they waited in a lengthy line at the courthouse.

"Be glad they settled for twenty gold nobles," Dom said, "and not your life."

"They broke the treaty first," Kel said. "I was within my rights—"

"Relax. It's almost over." Dom slung an arm around her, waving his other hand to the queue in front of them. "Just pay the price, and don't shoot at Stormwings anymore unless you're  _sure_  they're wild."

Kel muttered something under her breath, shrugging his arm off her shoulder.

Dom elbowed her. "See, this is why I came with you," he scolded. "If I hadn't, you'd be cursing even louder."

This time her swearing was directed to him. Dom only tutted. "Gentle maiden, where could you possibly have learned such awful language?"

"I know some soldiers," she grumbled. "Though I'm beginning to regret their company." She kicked at his feet, but her lips curled into a smile. Dom would've kissed her then if there hadn't been so many folk around.

The line moved at a snail's pace. Banter like that kept them entertained as they waited, but only for so long. They could have flashed their status to move ahead, but Kel was all about fairness, and Dom didn't mind the wait. Time spent with Kel was always worth his while.

"Noble privileges are usually full of bull," Kel observed, "and this still is, but I'm starting to understand why folk would fall back on tyranny to skip the bureaucracy."

At last, there was only one party still in line before them, two nervous young commoners. The legal clerk before them pursed his lips as he listened to their requests. Dom amused himself by imagining the man as one of those colorful-faced monkeys in the king's menagerie.

Kel opened her purse and began to count the coins within it with a scowl. "This is a hefty sum for a green knight," she lamented.

"You're just upset to be paying Stormwings your salary," Dom said wisely. "And I did offer to pay it for you."

"I'm not going to take your money, Dom," Kel said.

"You may as well," Dom said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Anything that's mine is yours. You know that, right?"

Kel smiled. Either she had relaxed her Yamani face of stone recently, or else he'd learned to read her better, because Dom could see the rare glimpse of affection in her eyes. Well, rare in public, at least. When they were in private, she could be  _quite_  affectionate.

"And you're certain you wouldn't want your family here?" asked the clerk. His voice climbed into a higher register in his suspicion, drawing Kel and Dom's attention away from each other.

The two people before them in line clutched each other like they were afraid to let it go. "Yes," said the shorter one, her voice shaking. "They—don't get along. Sh—he's not liked by my family. They don't get along."

"Very well." The clerk sighed, jotting down a few notes on a piece of paper. He paused again, leaning forward. "And no ceremony? No priests of Mithros or the Goddess?"

"W-we follow the Trickster," the other one said, his voice gruff and his eyes downcast.

"Hmmppff." The clerk wrinkled his nose in disapproval. "Very  _well_." He eyed them like he wasn't sure if they were lying or not.

"Please, sir, we'd—we'd appreciate it if you could move quickly," the woman said, glancing around nervously. Her gaze lingered on Dom briefly, worry shining clearly through her face.

The clerk grimaced. "Just to be certain. Your names are Zaliah Rinnis and..." He squinted at his document. "Nadima Coryn?"

"Yes, that's us," the woman said. "I'm Zaliah and—and he's Nadima. We're both to be Coryn, as soon as you sign that."

"I thought Nadima was a girl's name," the clerk said.

"My mother had a funny sense of humor," Nadima said in a forced rumble.

Dom exchanged a glance with Kel. He had an idea of what was happening, but he wasn't sure if either of them ought to interfere. Kel's face had gone Yamani-blank, which meant she was either hiding her anger, making a plan, or both.

"Please, sir, we only want to be wed," Zaliah begged.

The clerk gave them one final glare. "There is something off here," he muttered, "but I can't tell what..."

Zaliah stared at him with wide, pleading eyes, and at last the clerk sighed. "Fine," he proclaimed, signing his name with a flourish. "By Mithros and the Goddess and the power vested in me as a lawman of the Crown, I now pronounce you man and—" He broke off, frowning at the paper.

"What?" Nadima demanded, his voice warbling higher in his frustration.

"You need another witness," the clerk said triumphantly. "Someone else must sign."

"I'll do it." The words fell out of Dom's mouth before he realized what he was saying. "Leave the poor couple alone. I'll witness for their marriage."

Nadima and Zaliah turned to look at him. Nadima's mouth fell open; Zaliah covered hers, tears of gratitude budding in her eyes. Looking closer, Dom found his suspicions to be confirmed: Nadima was too short, too busty to be a man, despite the clothes she wore. These were two women, trying to marry under a government that would not recognize their union.

Dom was damned if he'd let that happen. Not when he could so easily help out—and  _especially_  not with Kel there.

"And you are...?" the clerk asked with a sniff.

"Lord Domitan of Masbolle," he said, snatching the quill to sign his name. "My friend, Sir Keladry of Mindelan, has a deposit to make, and I am sick of waiting." He added his signature to the document and handed it to Nadima with a half-bow. "Man and wife." He winked. Commoners or no, he respected them.

"Thank you, my lord!" Zaliah gasped, bowing deeply. Nadima forgot her reverence in her shock, staring at the marriage license in her hands.

Kel ushered them away from the baffled clerk before anyone realized something was off. While he spoke to them, Dom leaned across the clerk's desk.

"Next time, don't hassle folk so," he said, inspecting his nails. "You're making the line longer."

The clerk blushed fiercely. "My lord, I had no ill intent—"

"And  _yet_ , Sir Keladry and I have been waiting over an hour while you hassled commonfolk who only wished to be wed." Dom shook his hed. "Next time I might pop into the office of your superiors and complain, and that would just mean trouble for us both."

The clerk staggered backward. "No, no, my lord!" he blabbered. "I won't do it again, I swear by Mithros!"

"Good." Dom leaned away, watching as Kel walked back up to him. The newlyweds were nowhere to be seen. "See to it that you don't forget that vow. I hear Mithros isn't fond of oathbreakers."

"What?" Kel asked, arriving back at his side.

"Give the man your coin and we'll be done with this blasted Stormwing business," Dom said, ignoring her question. He could explain later.

Kel reached for her purse, then froze. "Dom, um... Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Dom waved a hand at the clerk. "Just a second, sir. I'm sure you wouldn't mind waiting, not after we have been patient for so long."

Kel grabbed his arm and pulled him a few feet away. "I gave them the money," she whispered.

"All twenty nobles?" Dom demanded.

"They needed it!" Kel protested. "Two women, wed? They've got to leave Corus, if not Tortall, before that dullard realizes Nadima really  _is_  a girl's name. Twenty in gold will help."

"You're too damn big-heared." Dom rubbed his forehead.

"Says the man who witnessed their marriage!" Kel shot back. "This would come back to you, too."

"I know that." Dom groaned. "What about the Stormwings? You said yourself, a green knight can't afford that sum, especially not twice."

Kel bit her lip. "Dom...did you really mean that, when you said that everything yours is mine, too?"

"Of course," he assured, grasping her forearm. "I don't have the coin on me, but I'll pay."

"Thank you." Kel relaxed. "I'm sorry for—"

"Don't be," Dom dismissed. "My allowance is five times that, and that's not counting my salary. Masbolle won't even realize it's gone." Not even his mother would notice if he sent back twenty gold nobles from his yearly allowance.

Before Kel could change her mind, Dom walked back to the clerk and instructed him to draw the necessary funds out of Masbolle's treasury and pay it to the Stormwings' magistrate. Whatever the immortals thought they could use the coin for wasn't his business after that.

At last, they left the courthouse. Dom invited Kel back to his rooms in the inn he had rented.

"That was a good thing you did, Dom," Kel said. "Those women...you helped them when you didn't have to."

"I learn from the best." Dom grinned, pulling her into a kiss. Kel laughed, falling into him. It felt so good to hold her.

"Eloping like that must be easier if you're not hiding anything," Kel mused. "I always thought, if I  _did_  get married, that would be the way to do it. No fuss, no expenses. Just the legal papers and be done with it."

"Until your mother finds out," Dom said dourly. That was the only problem with that plan, in his opinion.

"Well, yes," Kel admitted. "And Neal would be furious. He'd say I took all the romance out of the most romantic occasion there is, and demand to be the witness anyway. He'd grouch the whole time and then cry when he signed the paper."

Dom laughed. "Keep it a secret, then. I'd be the witness, and I'd never tell."

Kel gave him a funny look. "Well—I don't think that would be how it happened. I'd need to find a  _very_  unique person to get married, even that way."

"What, like me?" Dom joked. But it wasn't really a joke. And the thought of marrying Kel terrified and excited him in equal measure.

She shoved him playfully. "Well, there's no one else like you. Except Neal, and he's taken."

"Neal is nothing like me!" Dom protested. "And  _you_  said you didn't actually ever like him in the first place—"

"Did I say anything about you?"

" _Yes_ , you did—" he protested, but then she kissed him and everything they joked about fell away. They tumbled into his bed and laughed when Dom's tunic got caught on her belt.

"Oops," Dom said, slipping out of his tunic. Kel picked the threads out of her belt and tossed it back in his face with a grin. "Like the view?" he teased.

"I could take it or leave it," Kel remarked, but she looked up and down his chest appreciatively. After a moment, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I hope those girls are making good use of our coin."

_Our_  coin. Dom liked the sound of that. He wrapped an arm around her. "I'm sure they are. They were clever enough to come up with a trick like pretending Nadima was a man."

"I wish things were different, here in Tortall," Kel murmured. "I wish they could have brought their own witness and not needed to lie. I wish you didn't have to keep your own secrets so close."

"I'm alright," Dom said. "It's not like the world needs to know I've slept with men, or that I'm with you."

"I know, but..." Kel trailed off. "We shouldn't have to feel like it  _must_  be a secret. That should be our choice."

Dom didn't know what to say to that. There was a pang in his heart that was all too familiar, the kind of feeling he'd dismissed in the past. He didn't know how to address it then, nor did he know now.

"I wish folk didn't roll their eyes or threaten me when I say that I don't wish to settle down and marry their sons," Kel continued bitterly. "And those are the progressives, the ones who'd want the bitch knight's blood mixing with their own. I'd be a political asset, a statement of their positions, and not their daughter-in-law."

"We do what we can," Dom said softly. He kissed her again, and again, until they were lying down in his bed and he could feel her skin on his.

Kel's shirt was half off and her hands at his belt buckle before Dom's head caught up to his dick. "Wait," he breathed. "Before we—before we do this—are you sure? Do you really—"

Kel's eyes were wider than the moon, but she nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I've thought about it, and yes—"

"Tell me to stop, any time, and I will," Dom said. "Don't do it for me, because I'm—"

"Shut up and fuck me," Kel exclaimed, yanking his trousers down.

She didn't need to tell him again. Dom complied.

* * *

They dozed together in the gray morning, curled up with only a blanket and the heat of their own skin to keep them warm. Dom could feel Kel's breathing like it was his own; her chest rose and fell slowly, in sync with the beat of his heart.

He didn't realize she was awake until she kissed his forehead sleepily. He blinked, squeezing her hand.

"How are you?" he murmured.

"Mmm," Kel mumbled. "Good. Though—it's not all they say it is. Sex, I mean. Not that you—"

Dom only chuckled. "No, you're right. I mean—not that I'm bad in bed. It's enjoyable, but it's not all there is to pleasure."

"It was alright," Kel blinked, brushing a lock of hair out of Dom's face. "I wouldn't mind doing it again, if you wanted to. But I haven't experienced an awakening, or..." She yawned. "Doesn't change anything about how I feel about you, though."

"Oh?"

She buried her face into his chest. Her breath tickled his hair, and Dom smiled.

"I love you," she admitted. "I don't think I've said that before. And it isn't the sex, or anything. I felt this way for awhile. You...you're different. And I like that."

Dom smiled. "There's no one else like me," he said, echoing her words from the night before. Kel rolled her eyes, and he ran his fingers through her hair. "I love you too, Kel."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i'm back! sorry it's been so long, but i've finally written the final chapter of this story!  
> again, thank you SO MUCH for the support you all have shown for this fic, it really means the world to me, especially since i really did not expect many people to read it! thank you <333
> 
> this chapter is technically the "+1" to a 5+1 fic, so it's a little different than the others :)  
> oh, and in case it's hard to tell: in the beginning, the text in italics is Dom's writing and the text in bold is Kel's, each from a separate letter! (the same thing happens later in the chapter, but with Neal and Yuki respectively)  
> i'm kind of nervous about posting this chapter, but i've read and reread it so many times and I don't think there's anything to change! hope you enjoy! <3

_Hey, Meathead._

**Hello, Neal!**

_I'm writing to ask you an odd sort of question._

**First of all, how are you doing? I hope you and Yuki are well! My heartfelt congratulations on your little one on the way—and I'm honored you'd ask me to be godmother. Of course I accept!  
** **I'll get right to the point—through frankly, I'm a bit embarrassed to talk about it. Still, given** _**your** _ **history in this area, I can be certain I am not the silliest.**

_I don't know how much you know about this, but Kel and I have been dancing about each other for ages. It's the most peculiar courtship I've ever been part of, but then, Kel's not your average woman._

**I'm not sure if Dom has told you, but he and I have some sort of... Well, I don't know quite what to call it, to be honest. A relationship, I suppose. Aside from Cleon, I've got practically no experience in this area, and I'm at a loss right now.**

_I know she's your friend first, and I don't mean to take away from that, not at all. But we've got something special, and it's different than any of my other flings. I mean, it's not a fling, for one. I'm more attached to her than I've been anyone before._

**I apologize for involving you in a mess with your own cousin, but I trust you with this sort of advice. You managed to work out a relationship with Yuki, after all. I know both of you quite well, and I'm still puzzled at how you did it!**

_Neal, you're married. I always swore off this sort of thing, any serious thing, but Mithros! I think I might be in love. I like Kel a lot._

**Neal, what if this is the real thing? I thought, after Cleon... I didn't think I'd fall in love again. Thinking back, I wasn't even sure if it had been love to begin with. I love you, of course, and Peachblossom and Lord Raoul and Jump and my sparrows and all of my other friends, but I love Dom in a way that frightens me, even after Cleon. I need your advice.**

_Looking back on what I've already written, I think I'm repeating myself. It's just that I don't know what to do. You're married—why'd you do it? You've always been a romantic, but why did you decide to settle down? I always thought it was in my blood to be a roving man, and I love it in the King's Own and I'd hate to leave the boys—but Kel makes me question the things I thought I always knew._

**Should we stay together? Dom and I, we fit in a way that I can't describe. He's like you in a way, except more sensible—he's got most of your good traits and not many of your annoying ones.**

_I've been thinking about it off and on for months now. The fact that I'm even considering it terrifies me, and probably does her, but I've never even toyed with this idea before.  
_ _Should I ask Kel to marry me?_

**I know you're rolling your eyes at me now, so Ha ha! Joking aside, you know Dom and I both so well I thought you could have some words of wisdom for us. Do you think that we are meant for each other? We've been pairing off at weddings for awhile now, and I think even Raoul knows we've been seeing each other. What if that's a sign?**

_We've talked about marriage quite a lot, actually, mostly at other people's weddings and engagements and even one elopement. We've got similar ideas about marriage, and I think she's thinking the same things as me, but I'm not for sure._

**Please write me your thoughts. I need someone else's opinion about all this, someone on the outside.**

_One thing I know, though, is that as much as I love the Own, I'd leave it for her. I don't know what we'd do together after that—I'm no knight—but we're warriors, both of us, and I'm sure the king would have a use for us._

**Thank you for your friendship and your advice!**

_I hope you have some wise words to settle my anxieties—or that Yuki does, because I know how manic you can get about these sorts of things. You really are a Meathead!_

**Sending my love,  
** **Kel**

_Your more attractive cousin,  
_ _Dom_

* * *

The letters arrived only a few hours apart. Upon reading the first few lines of Dom's, Neal swore and turned to tear open Kel's. When he had read both, eyes darting back and forth between them rapidly, Neal let out a long, pained groan, burying his face in his hands.

"Neal?" Yuki asked, walking up behind him and placing her hands on his shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"I got a letter from Kel and one from Dom," Neal explained, his words muffled by the fingers over his mouth.

"Well, that's nice," Yuki said, a smile twitching at her mouth. She knew Neal was building to a climax, and she decided to indulge his dramatics this time around.

"Is it?" Neal said, his voice rising into a higher register. "Normally I would love to hear from either one of them, but—" He sighed, lifting his head to look at her. "Yuki, my darling, my love, mother of my children—"

"You've only got one," Yuki interrupted mildly, placing a hand on her slowly-swelling belly.

"Yuki, this is  _serious_ ," Neal protested. " _Kel_  is asking  _me_  for advice!  _And_  Dom!"

"Oh, dear," Yuki said, widening her eyes. "That is serious. Usually you're the one who needs the advice."

"It gets worse," Neal groaned, ignoring her tease. He picked up Kel's letter. " _I'm not sure if Dom has told you, but he and I have some sort of_ —blah blah blah— _relationship!_ " He grabbed the other letter. " _I don't know how much you know about this, but Kel and I have been dancing about each other for ages. It's the most peculiar courtship I've ever_ —relationship, Yuki! Courtship!"

"Oh,  _dear_ ," Yuki said again.

"My cousin and my best friend are in love, and they are  _both_  asking me for advice!" Neal proclaimed, running a hand through his already-messy hair. "What do I  _do_?" he asked, staring up at his wife plaintively. "I can't just—"

"Write them both one letter," Yuki suggested. "Look—they are both writing from the same address. They must be staying together while Third Company is in Corus. Tell them to talk to each other, not to you. Send the letters back, too."

"Yuki, you're a genius," Neal said, leaping to his feet and giving her a quick, passionate kiss. Immediately after, he ran off further into their home.

"Where are you going?" she called out.

"Looking for my old letters from Dom!" he shouted back. "I've got to throw something he told me about love back in his face!"

* * *

Kel read the address on the letter with a frown. The servant lass who'd delivered it had already scampered off for supper, so she didn't have the chance to ask if the girl knew why it was so unusually thick, or why it was not addressed not to her alone, but also to Dom.

"Dom?" she called, stepping back into their rooms.

He looked up from where he was polishing one of his daggers on the floor. "Hm?"

"Did you write to Neal recently?"

"Oh. Yes, actually. Is that for me?"

"It's got both our names on it," she said, her heart pounding a bit. What had Dom wrote to Neal about? Was this a response to her letter alone? Did she want Dom to know she'd been so confused about her feelings for him that she reached out to Neal?

"It...does?" Dom stood up, walking over. Kel wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but he kept some air between their bodies as he leaned over her shoulder. At this point, that was unusual—and considering what was on her mind at that moment, a little troubling.

"I guess we ought to read it together, then," Kel said. "You know, I wrote to Neal a week or so ago as well."

"Huh." Dom's expression was neutral as he took the letter from her and began to open it. Kel sat down beside him, masking her anxiety in her practiced way..

Dom sliced open the envelope, and three letters fell out. To Kel's dismay, she recognized her own handwriting on one of them—Neal had sent her letter back!

Dom snatched up the second letter, just as quick as Kel grabbed hers. She met Dom's gaze sheepishly.

"We...asked him about the same thing, didn't we?" Kel guessed.

"It does seem that way," Dom agreed. He opened up the final letter. "Let's see what he has to say about that."

_Kel & Dom—_

_You two absolute fools! I nearly went mad reading your lovesick ramblings! Just talk to each other!_  
_Dom, I will remind you that you once wrote to me that you would, and I quote, "Never consider such a pointless thing as falling in love." Kel, you've said as much to me on many occasions. Look what's pointless now!  
_ _Yuki is reading this over my shoulder and she sends her well-wishes. I'm holding mine back until I get the wedding invitations. You need to get over your trepidations and get hitched already! I'll deal with the idea of my best friend and my worst cousin being in bed together on my own time, but I will honestly feel better knowing that at least you two have this situation under control._

_Love,  
_ _Nealan of Queenscove_

_P.S. Yuki says you need to make sure you're thinking on the same page. I say, Kel was already a page, so_

Neal's slanted scrawl cut off abruptly, replaced by rounder quill strokes:

**Dearest Keladry and Domitan,**

**My apologies for my husband, though I am sure you both well know what he is capable of! I trust in both of you to find the answer to your situation, one that will bring joy to us all.**

**With love,  
** **Yukimi of Queenscove**

_P.P.S. This is Neal again. Mithros bless you both._

Dom passed the letter over to Kel, his face unreadable. He'd picked up a few things from her, it seemed. Kel had read its message over his shoulder, but did so for a second time, processing her thoughts.

Wordlessly, she unfolded the letter she had sent Neal and offered to Dom. After a brief hesitation, Dom returned the favor.

Scanning Dom's words, Kel found her heart racing like she had just knocked a knight from the saddle.  _I think I might be in love._  Well—they'd said the words, hadn't they?  _Kel makes me question the things I thought I always knew._  She understood that feeling all too well. It was the next part that made her hands tremble:  _Should I ask Kel to marry me?_

Kel tore her eyes away from the page, looking over to Dom. Dom, the man she loved. Dom, the man she'd danced with, kissed with, had sex with, lived with— She looked at Dom, and she felt like the worst person in the world.

She'd led him on. She'd thought she was being clear, was being careful—but if he was going to set aside his life for her, leave the Own for her,  _marry_  her...

It was then that she accepted the awful truth that she'd hoped Neal would have pointed out instead of...whatever he'd done instead. She was not in love with Dom. She did not have romantic feelings for him, or for anyone at all. Whatever she felt for him, it wasn't that. And now she'd hurt him, broken him like she was broken.

"I'm sorry," Kel said, the words tumbling out as soon as Dom met her eyes. "Dom, I'm so sorry. I didn't—I don't know what I was thinking. What  _we_  were thinking. I thought I could—that  _we_  could—I thought—"

Dom grabbed her hand, and she fell silent. There was something in his eyes she'd seen before, but couldn't name. He smiled, sad and warm at all once.

"Kel, it's alright," he said. " _I'm_  sorry."

"No, don't—" Kel began, her voice thick, but Dom shook his head.

"I should've talked to you," he said. "Seeing all these folks get married—I think I caught the wedding blues. It's gotten to my head. I want to marry you, Kel, but this is something you've got to be just as excited about as me if it's to happen."

" _Are_  you excited?" Kel demanded before she could stop herself. Dom flinched backwards, and Kel's heart broke further. "Oh, gods. I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"You don't wish to marry," Dom stated. "I knew that. I knew that, and I kept..."

"Dom,  _you_  don't want to marry either!" Kel said desperately. "I thought you didn't! That's why I—that's why I let myself get so close. Why I let us go so far."

He was silent for a long moment, staring into the letter in his hands. At last he spoke: "I think we're both..." He paused. "Neal is—bless his heart, he's not like us. Like me. I wrote to him because I wanted him to assure me I was like him, but I see now that I'm not."

Kel blinked away tears. No, not  _now_ , curse it...!

"I always thought that the King's Own was the perfect excuse," Dom said slowly. "The perfect reason not to wed. I was making excuses to myself just as much as I was to my mother, and everyone else. It's not because I like men, or not only because of that... There was something about me that didn't quite line up with the idea of the perfect nobleman. Luckily I was born a younger son, and a handsome rogue, so the Own was perfect. I didn't have to marry, or at least I could put it off until later."

"And now it's later," Kel murmured.

"Well—I don't know," he admitted. "I said so... I thought so... but you're right. I'm not excited about it. That lie was to me, not you." He bit his lip. "With you—Kel, I love you. That hasn't changed at all. But I thought, I've never loved anyone like this, and not just because the chance never came. So that must—that must mean it's finally happened to me. That it's my time." He scratched his head. "So I write to Neal. Except now, after him telling us to 'get hitched'—I think that his endorsement has made me realize that isn't it at all. I just...I don't know what it  _is._ "

Kel laughed breathily, her shoulders slumping in relief. "You had me terrified, when you said you wanted to marry me," she said. "I thought I'd hurt you by saying no. I thought you'd never talk to me again. I thought, there's something wrong with me, and now I've brought that all on you."

"There's nothing wrong with you, Kel," he said. "And you could never—that wouldn't be a reason for me to leave you." He lifted the letter in his hand. "Reading this? It was a relief. You're just as confused as me. You know, I think I'm better at knowing what you're feeling than I used to be, but you still seem so confident and self-assured. I've still got learning to do."

"And here I was, thinking you were the confident one." Kel shook her head. "I thought I was the one with feelings that would break everything. I was so afraid I was in love with you that I never stopped to worry about you being in love with me! Now I know better."

"Kel, I  _do_ —"

"I don't mean I don't love you," she assured him. "I do. And it's...you're right, I don't know what it is. But it's not what Neal and Yuki have. It's not what that couple in Owlshollow have, or what those women in the courthouse risked everything to have. It's—something else. Something  _us_. Something like Raoul and Buri, mayhap, and you've heard my thoughts on them."

"Then..." Dom frowned. "What's this about comparing me to my lord of Kennan?"

"You can call him Cleon!" Kel rolled her eyes. "And it's not like that's any news to you. He's the only other frame of reference I have for—a relationship. And yet."

"And yet," Dom repeated.

"I like what I have with you, Dom," she said, blushing slightly. "We've talked about it; I thought we were thinking the same about it. But I suppose we were both second-guessing ourselves, and Neal said all the wrong things."

"He'll be so upset when he finds out we're not getting married," Dom chuckled.

"He'll come around," Kel dismissed. "It's not him I'm worried about."

Dom blinked. "Kel—no! This isn't the end, not if you don't want it to be. I  _don't_ want to marry you. I don't want anything to change. I know that now."

"I don't want anything to change, either," Kel said. She smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Then—we're back where we started!"

"That's a good place to be," Dom murmured, wrapping an arm around her.

Kel leaned into him. "Mmm," she agreed. He kissed her forehead, and she sighed happily, the pieces of her heart stitching back together. "Next time, let's talk about this together before we turn to Neal."

"Good idea," Dom said fervently. "He gives rotten advice."

"We've still got some things to talk about," Kel said.

"We always will, I hope," Dom said. "If we ever run out, I'm afraid that _would_  be the end of it." He turned her head and kissed her slowly, seriously. She leaned into him, glad things were falling back into place.

"Let's leave the rest of the talking 'til morning," she whispered, lifting him onto her lap.

Dom grinned, curling his hand in her hair. "Oh, yes," he agreed, "I can be satisfied with that."

* * *

**the end**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you again, love y'all <3 this fic has been such a journey!  
> you can find me on tumblr as [@arokeladry](http://arokeladry.tumblr.com/) (or, if you're reading this more than a week or so after i post it, [@arofili](http://arofili.tumblr.com/)) ! i love my girl, and i very much doubt this will be my last fic about her :) and i've already got a spinoff of this fic about Dom in the works~  
> and of course, much love to my amazing friend Buffintruder, and happy birthday! It's probably closer to your next birthday than it is the one I started writing this fic for, but hey! congrats on another year <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment, it really helps keep me going!  
> Check me out on tumblr [@arofili](http://arofili.tumblr.com/).


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